Town man of the moment Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has admitted his defensive work, as much as the attacking role in which he excelled after coming on as a substitute in last night’s 1-1 home draw with Birmingham City, can provide a real buzz.
Emmanuel-Thomas, 21, was in sensational form after replacing Jason Scotland midway through the second half against the promotion-chasing Midlands men and apart from his stunning, point-saving equaliser he also saw a long-distance thunderbolt crash back off the crossbar.
But despite his thrilling contribution to what manager Paul Jewell suggested was his side’s best display of the season, the ex-Arsenal player has revealed that his defensive work can be every bit as satisfying.
Emmanuel-Thomas, who is claimed to be interesting Fulham and other Premier League sides, said: "It’s not something that I have deliberately worked on. It’s something that I have had to add to my game. I never had it in my game before.
"It’s something I have to do now and again, chasing back if Carlos [Edwards] has gone forward. I’ve had to get used to doing it.”
Emmanuel-Thomas also revealed that he gained brief experience as a defender during his time in the Gunners’ youth team.
He added: "When I played left-back and an opponent was running at me, one against one, he was rarely going to get past me because I would just wait for him to knock it past me and there was no way he was going to outrun me.
"At Arsenal, whether it was in the reserves or when we won the FA Youth Cup, we had the ball for the majority of the game. It was rare that I had to be chasing back to deal with counter-attacks.
"The defensive side of my game has definitely developed here at Ipswich. There are times when you have to make a tackle or put your foot in somewhere. It can give you a real buzz when you win the ball and you hear the crowd cheer.”
Meanwhile, Emmanuel-Thomas has also spoken about his role in the club’s promotional video, shot at Easton Farm Park, unveiling the new home and away kits to be worn in the 2012/13 campaign.
He said: "I had a message on my phone about the video to tie in with the new kit launch and I just thought ‘Fine, I’ve been selected to do that, no problem’. Then a couple of days later I received another text saying ‘We’re going to visit a farm and film it there’.
"I was thinking ‘What? I don’t know about this farm stuff’. I’m not a big fan of animals but I have to say it was a very enjoyable day, even though it was a bit cold. We had a laugh doing it.”